BBC Introducing Launches Month-Long UK Live Program for Emerging Artists
BBC Introducing is expanding its support for emerging artists with a month-long series of live events across the UK. The November program will combine performances with workshops, open mics, educational panels and networking sessions in 10 locations.
The 10 locations
Belfast, Bridgend, Gateshead, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Nottingham and Sunderland.
A new format after Reading & Leeds
The announcement comes after confirmation that the BBC Introducing Stage would no longer appear at Reading & Leeds, ending an 18-year run at the festivals. That stage had become an important early platform for artists who later reached much larger audiences.
BBC Introducing says its broader network has supported a large share of British artists appearing across the 2026 Reading & Leeds lineup, illustrating how grassroots discovery can feed directly into major festival bills.
More than a showcase
The new LIVE format is notable because it is not built only around performances. Workshops, panels, open mic sessions and networking opportunities address a different part of artist development: learning how to navigate the business around the music.
For emerging acts, access to a stage matters, but so do relationships with promoters, radio teams, producers, managers and other artists. A distributed program across multiple cities may reach creators who would never travel to a single national event.
A useful signal for independent artists
The move reflects a wider change in music discovery. Streaming and social media can expose a song quickly, but sustainable careers still depend heavily on live skills, industry knowledge and local networks.
Programs like BBC Introducing remain important because they create trusted human filters in an ecosystem where digital distribution has made releasing music easier but meaningful discovery harder.
The grassroots problem remains
The UK live sector has repeatedly warned about pressure on smaller venues and entry-level touring. A national program cannot solve those structural problems on its own, but it can direct attention toward local scenes and give emerging artists more places to be seen and heard.
For labels and managers, the events may also become useful scouting environments. For artists, the value may be just as much in the conversations around the shows as in the stage time itself.
